Wilson In Building Cellular Amplifier Systems
Wilson building amplifiers and amplifier systems are on sale at AlternativeWireless.com through February. You’ll save $50 or $100.
Sale includes Wilson’s Smart Technology single band cellular amplfiers and kits, Wilson SOHO (Small Office / Home Office) amp and kits and the Wilson SignalBoost Desktop repeater system.
Wilson Mobile Professional Cellular amplifier
One of the more popular ways to improve cellular signal is the use of a cellular repeater type system. Basically this type of system has an outside and inside antenna connected to an amplifier. The signal is captured by the outside antenna, amplified by the amplifier, then rebroadcasts via the inside antenna.
Current repeater type systems are rather large and bulky and not easily carried from place to place. Wilson Electronics developed the Mobile Professional to provide an amplifier system that can be easily carried from place to place and doesn’t need a lot of separation between the inside and outside antenna. The Mobile Professional is easily carried in your suitcase, backpack or briefcase. It only has .4watts of power so it doesn’t replace their 3 watt wireless mobile amplifier in the performance arena but, it is much easier to lug around.
The Mobile Professional comes with an outside antenna and, to save on size, the inside antenna is built into the amplifier.
The Mobile Professional has several different power options including cigarette lighter plug, AC wall outlet plug and USB charging cable so you can charge from your laptop while on the go. It also comes with a handy carry case and window mount.
DirectConnect Cellular Amplifier
Improving the cellular signal to a cellular data card can increase transmission speeds. If you just need a little help, attaching an external antenna to the data card’s RF port is usually enough. In areas where the signal is very weak, adding a directconnect or repeater type amplifier will usually do the job.
Amplifier Warning
Be aware that most data cards have amplifiers built into them (usually 1 or 2 watts). Many times adding another amplifier will not improve performance. In fact, if you’re in an area where the signal is not so bad, adding a directconnect or repeater amplifier may actually degrade the performance of data transmission. In these situations, using just an external antenna directly connected to the data card is best.
More Info on Mobile Internet Signal Improvement
In Building Bi-Directional Cellular Amplifier
Bi-directional cellular amplifiers (such as those used in vehicles and buildings) can adversely affect your service providers network. This can occur when the inside and outside antennas are too close together and signal oscillation occurs. Other users in the area can be knocked off their phone calls. This does not make cellular service providers happy.
Bi-directional amplifier manufacturers know this can occur so they usually build in some type of warning system such as having lights go on or off or change color. The drawback to this solution is that if no one is looking at the amplifier, (which is usually hidden away under a car seat, closet or attic) the warning light(s) are not noticed.
Wilson Electronics came out with a better solution they call SmartTechnology. Their SmartTechnology controls the power of the amplifier to a service providers tower and makes sure it is within the carrier’s specifications. If too much power exists so that oscilliation occurs, their bi-directional amplifiers will shut down. Their SmartTechnology amplifiers will also reset automatically when the condition no longer exists.
More info on Wilson InBuilding Bi-directional Cellular Amplifiers
Wilson's new iBooster for iPhone, iPhone 3G, BlackBerry Curve
At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Wilson Electronics announced the launch of their new Wilson iBooster™ plug and play cellular booster kit for 2G and 3G iPhones. They expect them to be available the spring of this year. A version will be available for iPhones and BlackBerry Curves.
The device will be a custom holder and amplifier. The kit will include the holder, external antenna with cable and cigarette lighter adapter.
The devices are expected out Spring 2009. More information will be coming soon.
Many people need to improve their cellular reception however they don’t want to be connected to the wire of an external antenna or cellular power boooster which can be very effective options at lower costs. One option is to leave your cell phone connected to an external antenna or power booster and use a Bluetooth hands free device to walk around with freely. With most Bluetooth devices, you can be within 30 feet of your phone and still make a connection.
When shopping for Bluetooth headsets, you must match more than just your phone’s Bluetooth version number. You should also match Bluetooth PROFILES for both your phone and the Bluetooth product you are considering to make sure you can take full advantage of its features.
BlueAnt Supertooth 3 Bluetooth Hands-Free
For instance, one of the newest and hottest selling Bluetooth hands free devices is the BlueAnt Supertooth 3. It is Bluetooth 2.0 compatible however, in order for your phone to take advantage of its voice dialing function; your cell phone must be capable of voice dialing. In order to take advantage of the Supertooth 3’s ability to dial from your mobile phone’s phone book, your phone must support sending its phone book entries to other devices (OPP and PBA Profiles).
Here’s a list of some common profiles.
So, dig a little deeper into the specs of any Bluetooth device before purchasing to make sure your cell phone can take advantage of all the feature’s you’re paying for.
One of the biggest bangs for the buck in improving your cell signal is to attach an external antenna to your mobile device.
Antenna Adapter
This is a typical RF port on a cell phone:
Many cell phone do not have RF ports that are easy to get to as the one pictured. Also, your phone may have a port but no external antenna adapter has been developed for it. With some providers, these types of phones are getting harder and harder to find. If there is no adapter for your phone, you might consider changing phones or using a universal powered amplifier (see more info below).
This is an external antenna adapter required to connect an external antenna to your cell phone or cellular broadband card:
Adapter to Phone
One end connects to your cell phone and the other end screws onto an external antenna.
This is an external antenna:
Connect the three (cell phone, adapter, antenna) together to improve your signal quality.
Unfortunately not all phones or broadband cards have RF ports that enable you to connect an antenna to it.
Another option for these phones is the universal powered amplifier such as the Wilson SignalBoost or Wireless Amplifier.
We created this blog to cover topics and products on improving cellular service. We’ll start off with the some basics on what is currently available and will add updates as we get and test new products.
It really wasn’t that long ago when having a wireless phone was rare. Cellular phones came in briefcases and were very expensive to purchase and use. Today, the ability to carry your phone in your pocket, purse or belt and be able to communicate most any where is taken for granted. The miracle of wireless communications is lost on over promising from cellular service providers and complaints about lost signals and dropped calls. We still want to believe “nationwide service” means we should be able to use our cell phones anywhere in the nation. Unfortunately, that’s just not the case.
The best and usually least expensive way to improve your cellular service is to ask others in your area about the quality of their cellular service. AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc. may be great in one part of the world and horrible in another. Forget about asking others on the Internet who don’t live in your area. Stick to local surveys. Evaluate service first than phone. There is not a lot of difference in phone performance but there may be some.
Your next option is to get a cell phone with an RF port that you can attach an external antenna too. Check the web site External Antenna Adapters for external antenna adapter availability for any cell phone you might be considering. Cell phones with RF ports are sometimes not easy to find.
Attaching an external antenna to your phone can be your biggest bang for the buck in improving your wireless signal. An external antenna can help in several ways. First, it moves the signal away from your head (which, by the way, can block a considerable amount of signal). It also allows you to place the antenna outside or near an outside wall or window where the signal is better. It also gives you a better radiation pattern. Where a phone’s built in antenna usually radiates generally in a straight up and down pattern, a higher gain external antenna can give a more rounded radiation pattern, picking up what signal is available better.
In areas where the signal if very weak or non existent, you might consider a cellular power booster / amplifier. A powered amp actually takes the signal, amplifies it then re broadcasts it to your phone. There are many different cellular amplifiers including ones you connect to your phone, ones you don’t connect to your phone that cover a small area like within a vehicle and others that can improve the signal inside a building for multiple users.
We will go into further detail on each option in later entries.
Find more helpful info at Alternative Wireless web site.